Coronavirus: Russia says its second vaccine, EpiVacCorona, is 100% effective

MOSCOW.- The authorities of Russia announced today that the second vaccine developed to fight against the coronavirus pandemic, EpiVacCorona, was evaluated in test groups and found to be immunological efficacy never announced before by any other candidate in the world: 100 per cent.

According to information provided by the press service of the National Health Agency, Rospotrebnadzor, These are the results obtained after clinical trials with the new drug, developed by the Scientific Center of Virology and Biotechnology Véktor, publishes the RT portal.

“The effectiveness of the vaccine lies in its immunological and preventive effectiveness. According to the results of the first and second phase of clinical trials, the immunological efficacy of the EpiVacCorona vaccine is 100%, ”the agency’s statement read. the last step of the tests is still missing.

Based on peptide antigens, The EpiVacCorona was registered in Russia on October 13, months after the approval of the Sputnik V, the first of all, which was registered in the country on August 11 of last year.

In November, the Russian Ministry of Health authorized the Véktor center to carry out tests until 3000 volunteers and also among people over 60 years old. A few weeks after its launch, medical authorities provided information on this project to World Health Organization, according to RT.

“The level of protection can be achieved in a different period for each person, but it is formed on average in a month”, explained Alexander Rýzhikov, director of the zoonoses and influenza department at the Véktor center.

National campaign

The news about Russia’s second vaccine comes a day after the country, led by Vladimir Poutine, will initiate a massive inoculation of its population in the hope of curbing the coronavirus without imposing new confinements.

Last week the president Putin ordered the entire population (146 million people) to have access to the national Sputnik V vaccine. However, in the press, Russian experts questioned the ability of the authorities to distribute the vaccine in places far from urban centers.

The country, which has the fourth highest number of detected cases of Covid-19, began large-scale vaccinations last month, initially of people in essential professions, including health workers and teachers.

Authorities have estimated that they will vaccinate 60% of the country’s inhabitants this year with their two registered vaccines and they also hope that a third will be approved in the coming days.

Until Russia has reported more than 3,600,000 positives and around 67,000 deaths.

Reuters and AFP agencies